Side-by-side distribution
Compliance
$144,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 36.9%
- Live roles
- 756
Paralegal
$80,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 43.7%
- Live roles
- 563
Highest-paying jobs
Compliance Advisory Manager
Chief Compliance Officer
Engineering Manager, GRC Platform
Engineering Manager, Fraud & Compliance
GRC Program Manager, US Government Compliance
Trade Import / Export Compliance Manager – Technology & SaaS Industry Experience
Chief Compliance Officer - NLG Capital
Staff Product Manager, Security and Compliance (Public Sector)
Senior Payments Compliance Manager
Group Product Manager, Compliance Agent Experience
Highest-paying jobs
Corporate Paralegal - NYC
Corporate Paralegal - Dallas
Corporate Paralegal
Litigation Paralegal - Pennsylvania
Corporate Paralegal - Chicago
Litigation Paralegal - Detroit
Litigation Paralegal - Chicago
Litigation Paralegal
Litigation Paralegal - California
Litigation Paralegal - D.C
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
The Symicor Group
|
$90,000 | 13 |
|
Coinbase
|
$188,700 | 10 |
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 6 |
Brex
|
$178,500 | 4 |
Upstart
|
$155,525 | 4 |
| SE Sezzle | $24,600 | 4 |
|
OpenAI
|
$234,000 | 3 |
Block
|
$214,700 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
|
$77,500 | 24 |
Modern Family Law
|
$67,600 | 19 |
Parnalllaw
|
$66,580 | 18 |
| TM Tyson & Mendes LLP | $78,520 | 12 |
| WE Wilson Elser - Business & Legal Professionals | $75,000 | 12 |
|
Axiom Talent Platform
|
$190,500 | 11 |
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
|
$120,000 | 11 |
Mandarich Law Group, LLP
|
$47,840 | 10 |
Compliance salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $196,600 | 12 |
| Denver | $183,850 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $178,500 | 45 |
| Austin | $168,000 | 3 |
| New York | $157,375 | 50 |
| Atlanta | $155,500 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $139,500 | 4 |
| Chicago | $135,000 | 12 |
| Boston | $112,000 | 5 |
| London | $99,000 | 7 |
Paralegal salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $139,200 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $92,500 | 19 |
| New York | $87,750 | 30 |
| Boston | $80,000 | 5 |
| Seattle | $77,020 | 10 |
| Denver | $75,250 | 6 |
| Chicago | $75,000 | 11 |
| Toronto | $74,443 | 5 |
| Austin | $66,580 | 3 |
Compliance vs Paralegal: which pays more?
The median for Compliance is $144,000 per year (typically $102,500–$172,500), versus $80,000 for Paralegal ($67,600–$101,500). That puts Compliance about 80% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Compliance and Paralegal are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.